1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of infant bouncer seats; and more particularly, to a foot and leg protector for an infant seat bouncer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bouncer seats have become very popular. They keep a child safely entertained while at the same time helping to develop his motor skills. A parent can place her child in a bouncer seat and carry on with household chores and the like without worrying about whether her child is safe. A bouncer seat has certain rigid parts, typically located near its front lip, which pose a threat to the child; this risk includes significant pain and discomfort to a child's legs and feet while sitting and playing in the bouncer seat. These rigid parts are especially problematic when a child kicks his legs, an activity frequently carried out by babies while playing in a bouncer seat.
One troublesome problem with bouncer seats is the tendency of certain rigid parts near the front lip of the seat to cause pain and discomfort to the feet and legs of a child sitting therein. Information relevant to attempts to address this problem can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,603,639; 5,383,711; 6,036,263; 6,343,994; 6,390,555; and 6,511,126 as well as U.S. Patent Application Nos. 2003/0020317; 2003/0057744; and 2004/0094923. However, each one of these references suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: (i) the device is not permanently attached to a bouncer seat; (ii) the device is not unitary, that is to say, it does not cover substantially the entire portion of the front lip of a bouncer seat; (iii) the device does not have padding material of a sufficient thickness, i.e. at least one half inch, to protect the child's feet and legs from the rigid parts near the front lip of a bouncer seat; and (iv) the padded material does not have a suitable length and width to be properly installed on a bouncer seat such that it covers substantially the entire portion of the front lip, that is to say, the padded material is not u-shaped when viewed from the top surface.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,639 to Wilson discloses a detachable seat pad for use on the seat of a snowmobile and the like including an upper portion adapted to overlie the top of the snowmobile seat and side portions adapted to extend along opposite sides of the seat. A nonadhesive means is provided for releasably securing the side portions to the side of the seat. Preferably, the nonadhesive means includes confronting bristles having free ends provided with interengageable hooks. The Wilson device is not u-shaped from the top view and is not used with an infant bouncer seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,711 to Houghteling discloses a head support for use with infant retaining devices adapted to retain a user's head in an upright orientation while sleeping. Houghteling teaches a head support with a liner sheet connected to it. The liner sheet is preferably formed from either two fabric sheets that are lightly padded or a quilted fabric material and is dimensioned to at least partially underlie the torso of an infant or small child. The liner sheet includes a bifurcated bottom end portion forming legs connected by a substantially transverse edge of a central recess or notch. The notch accommodates the conventional buckle of a retaining strap or harness in the region of releasable attachment to the seat bottom portion to retain an infant. Because Houghteling requires a central recess or notch, it does not teach a device having a unitary construction that covers substantially the entire front lip of a bouncer seat. The Houghteling device further does not comprise removable attachment means for removably attaching a padded unit to a bouncer seat.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,263 to Gold discloses an infant rest, adapted for use with infant support devices. The infant rest taught by Gold supports the infant's head against sudden movements and impacts resulting therefrom. It also protects the infant from the effects of the environment, such as excessive sun, wind, cold or other environmental causes. A double padded layer extends upward into a single layer to form a bonnet around the head of the infant. The infant protective device includes a base panel having a lower notch that forms two leg portions. Because of this, the Gold reference does not teach a device having a unitary construction that covers substantially the entire front lip of a bouncer seat. The Gold device does not comprise removable attachment means for removably attaching a padded unit to a bouncer seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,126 to McAdams discloses a lawn furniture attachment for providing additional comfort and protection to an existing piece of lawn furniture while including a unique information transferring apparatus. The lawn furniture attachment includes a cushion with an extendable flagging mechanism stored internal to the cushion. The cushion is attachable to the tubular frame section of most current traditional pieces of lawn furniture. The cushion can be attached as a headrest, armrest or most preferably a footrest. The flagging mechanism can be extracted from inside the cushion and placed in a vertical position. The flagging mechanism can then be extended vertically to visually attract the attention of others. The McAdams device is not a unitarily formed, u-shaped padded member for integral attachment with the front, left, and right lips of an infant bouncer seat.
As another example, U.S. patent application 2003/0020317 to Keegan et al. discloses a baby bouncer having a frame with a base. A pair of upwardly and forwardly extending legs, connected to the base, carry a baby support so that a baby placed in the support faces in a forwardly direction. The Keegan et al. device comprise a wire frame and fabric that form a cradle for supporting the baby in the bouncer. The fabric cradle may typically be made of a quilted fabric provided with pockets on the back thereof that slip over the U-shaped wires of the frame so that the wires support the fabric. The edges of the fabric are preferably padded so as to form a bumper around the periphery of the cradle and prevent the baby in the cradle from bumping its head or any other part of the body against the U-shaped wires. The Keegan et al. device does not teach padding material having a sufficient thickness, i.e. at least one half inch, to protect a child's feet and legs from the rigid parts near the front lip of a bouncer seat. The Keegan et al. reference further does not teach a separate protective device of appropriate dimensions which is removably attached near the front lip of a bouncer seat via removable attachment means. Instead, the Keegan et al. reference teaches that the entire fabric sheet should be allowed to be detached from the frame, in which case the bouncer seat would be useless during the time that the sheet is removed, since the sheet forms the cradle that supports the infant.
There remains a need in the art for an inexpensive, reliable apparatus that is readily installed for use with existing bouncer seats, or integrally connected to a bouncer seat during its initial assembly, and provides a padding that protects the feet and legs of a child from certain rigid parts near the front, left, and right lips of a bouncer seat when the child is sitting and playing therewithin.